1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sprocket device with an oil lubrication, serving as a power transmitting means in cooperation with a steel chain which is adapted for power transmission use or serves as a conveyer chain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the steel chain, regardless of its use such as the power transmission use or article-conveyance use, it is always necessary to lubricate the chain at its flexible node points in order to prevent the chain from being worn.
Accordingly, hitherto employed are various lubricating methods such as an oil-bath lubrication method in which the chain dips below the oil surface, an oil-spray lubrication method by the use of an oil-injection system, a flood-lubrication method, a manual-lubrication method such as a manual-feed and a drop-feed methods.
However, the methods such as the oil-bath and the oil-spray lubrication suffer from expensive installation cost, and, therefore, these methods are economically disadvantageous. On the other hand, the manual-lubrication method suffers from its cumbersome lubrication work, and, in some location it is impossible to do such lubrication work.
In addition, there is another lubrication method in which is employed a simple lever-type plunger pump for feeding a lubricant to a necessary point. However, such method can not perform a sufficient lubrication when the chain is driven at a high speed, and, therefore is not adequate for such high speed chain while disadvantageous in its loose oil delivery. As a result, maintenance personnel for the lubrication of the chain are forced to a very hard work at the present time.